Gerbera plant named ‘Piroska’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of  Gerbera  plant named ‘Piroska’, characterized by its compact, upright and uniformly mounding plant habit; freely flowering habit; red purple and white bi-colored ray florets; upright and moderately strong scapes; and good garden performance.

Botanical designation: Gerbera hybrida.

Cultivar denomination: ‘PIROSKA’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Gerbera plant, botanically known as Gerbera hybrida and hereinafter referred to by the name ‘Piroska’.

The new Gerbera plant is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in De Kwakel, The Netherlands. The objective of the breeding program is to create new compact container Gerbera plants with numerous inflorescences, good garden performance, frost tolerance and attractive inflorescence coloration.

The new Gerbera plant originated from a cross-pollination in March, 2006 in De Kwakel, The Netherlands of a proprietary selection of Gerbera hybrida identified as code number B 1053, not patented, as the female, or seed, parent with a proprietary selection of Gerbera hybrida identified as code number B 1142, not patented, as the male, or pollen, parent. The new Gerbera plant was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a single flowering plant within the progeny of the stated cross-pollination in a controlled greenhouse environment in De Kwakel, The Netherlands during the spring of 2007.

Asexual reproduction of the new Gerbera plant by tissue culture in a controlled environment in De Kwakel, The Netherlands since the spring of 2007 has shown that the unique features of this new Gerbera plant are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Plants of the new Gerbera have not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in cultural practices and environment such as temperature and light intensity, without, however, any variance in genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of ‘Piroska’. These characteristics in combination distinguish ‘Piroska’ as a new and distinct cultivar of Gerbera plant:

-   -   1. Compact, upright and uniformly mounding plant habit.     -   2. Freely flowering habit.     -   3. Red purple and white bi-colored ray florets.     -   4. Upright and moderately strong scapes.     -   5. Good garden performance.

Plants of the new Gerbera differ from plants of the female parent selection in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Gerbera are more freely flowering than         plants of the female parent selection.     -   2. Plants of the new Gerbera have smaller inflorescences than         plants of the female parent selection.     -   3. Plants of the new Gerbera and the female parent selection         differ in ray floret color as plants of the female parent         selection have red-colored ray florets.     -   4. Plants of the new Gerbera have longer scapes than plants of         the female parent selection.

Plants of the new Gerbera differ from plants of the male parent selection in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Gerbera have broader leaves than plants of         the male parent selection.     -   2. Plants of the new Gerbera have smaller inflorescences than         plants of the male parent selection.     -   3. Plants of the new Gerbera have lighter red purple-colored ray         florets than plants of the male parent selection.

Plants of the new Gerbera can be compared to plants of the Gerbera hybrida ‘Lilian’, disclosed in a U.S. Plant patent application filed concurrently (12/802,582). Plants of the new Gerbera differ from plants of ‘Lilian’ in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Gerbera have broader leaves than plants of         ‘Lilian’.     -   2. Plants of the new Gerbera have smaller inflorescences than         plants of ‘Lilian’.     -   3. Ray florets of plants of the new Gerbera are narrowly obovate         in shape with emarginate to obtuse apices whereas ray florets of         plants of ‘Lilian’ are narrowly elliptic in shape with         emarginate to acute apices.     -   4. Plants of the new Gerbera and ‘Lilian’ differ in ray floret         color as plants of ‘Lilian’ have light red-colored ray florets.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPH

The accompanying photograph illustrates the overall appearance of the new Gerbera plant. The photograph shows the colors as true as it is reasonably possible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in the photograph may differ slightly from the color values cited in the detailed botanical description which accurately describe the colors of the new Gerbera plant. The photograph comprises a side perspective view of a typical flowering plant of ‘Piroska’ grown in a container.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The aforementioned photograph and following observations and measurements describe plants grown during the winter in 19-cm containers in a glass-covered greenhouse in De Kwakel, The Netherlands and under cultural practices and environmental conditions which approximate those generally used in commercial container Gerbera production. During the production of the plants, day temperatures ranged from 16° C. to 24° C. and night temperatures ranged from 16° C. to 20° C. Rooted young tissue-cultured plants were four months old when the photograph was taken and eight months old when the description was taken. In the following description, color references are made to The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, Fifth Edition, 2007, except where general terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used.

-   Botanical classification: Gerbera hybrida ‘Piroska’. -   Parentage:     -   -   Female, or seed, parent.—Proprietary selection of Gerbera             hybrida identified as code number B 1053, not patented.         -   Male, or pollen, parent.—Proprietary selection of Gerbera             hybrida identified as code number B1142, not patented. -   Propagation:     -   -   Type.—By tissue culture.         -   Time to initiate roots.—About 2.5 to three weeks at             temperatures of 20° C.         -   Time to produce a rooted young plant.—About five to six             weeks at temperatures of 20° C. to 26° C.         -   Root description.—Fibrous; white in color. -   Plant description:     -   -   Appearance.—Herbaceous perennial that are typically grown as             container or garden plants; compact, upright and uniformly             mounding plant habit, roughly globular in shape; leaves             arranged in basal rosettes and outwardly arching; dense and             bushy habit; inflorescences held above the foliar plane on             erect and moderately strong basal scapes; moderately             vigorous growth habit.         -   Plant height, soil level to top of foliar plane.—About 25             cm.         -   Plant height, soil level to top of inflorescences.—About             39.5 cm.         -   Plant width.—About 45 cm. -   Foliage description:     -   -   Arrangement.—Alternate, simple.         -   Length.—About 17 cm.         -   Width.—About 10 cm.         -   Shape.—Oblong.         -   Apex.—Acute.         -   Base.—Truncate.         -   Margin.—Irregularly sinuate; sinuses divergent; undulate.         -   Texture, upper surface.—Sparsely pubescent.         -   Texture, lower surface.—Moderately pubescent.         -   Venation pattern.—Pinnate.         -   Color.—Developing leaves, upper surface: Close to 139A.             Developing leaves, lower surface: Close to 138B. Fully             expanded leaves, upper surface: Close to 137A; venation,             close to 144A. Fully expanded leaves, lower surface: Darker             than 138B; venation, close to 144B.         -   Petioles.—Length: About 16 cm. Diameter: About 2.5 mm.             Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Moderately pubescent.             Color, upper surface: Close to 146C. Color, lower surface:             Close to 144B. -   Inflorescence description:     -   -   Appearance.—Semi-double type inflorescence form with             narrowly obovate-shaped ray florets; solitary inflorescences             borne on upright and moderately strong scapes above the             foliar plane; ray and disc florets arranged acropetally on a             capitulum.         -   Fragrance.—None detected.         -   Flowering season.—Plants begin flowering about three months             after planting and flower from April to November in outdoor             gardens in The Netherlands; plants flower year-round under             greenhouse conditions.         -   Inflorescence longevity.—Inflorescences last about two to             four weeks on the plant; inflorescences not persistent.         -   Quantity of inflorescences.—Freely flowering habit with             about 35 open and developing inflorescences per plant at one             time.         -   Inflorescence bud.—Height: About 1.7 cm. Diameter: About             1.4 cm. Shape: Broadly oblong. Color: Between 138B and 144A             to 144B; towards the apex, between 145C and 150C.         -   Inflorescence size.—Diameter: About 5.1 cm. Depth (height):             About 2.6 cm. Diameter of disc: About 1.8 cm. Receptacle             height: About 4 mm. Receptacle diameter: About 3 mm.             Receptacle color: Close to 157C.         -   Ray florets.—Orientation: About 65° from vertical. Length:             About 2.6 cm. Width: About 7 mm. Shape: Narrowly obovate.             Apex: Emarginate to obtuse. Base: Cuneate. Margin: Entire.             Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Smooth, glabrous;             slightly velvety; longitudinally ridged. Number per             inflorescence: About 31 arranged in about two whorls. Color:             When opening, upper surface: Slightly darker than 72C. When             opening, lower surface: Slightly darker than 72D; margins,             close to NN155D. Fully opened, upper surface: Close to 72C;             towards the apex, close to NN155D; color does not fade with             development. Fully opened, lower surface: Close to 72D;             margins, close to NN155D; color does not fade with             development.         -   Disc florets.—Arrangement: Massed at center of receptacle.             Shape: Tubular, fused. Apex: Acute. Base: Fused. Margin:             Entire. Length: About 1.6 cm. Width: About 3 mm. Texture,             upper and lower surfaces: Smooth, glabrous. Number of disc             florets per inflorescence: About 220. Color, prior to             opening: Apex: Close to 154C to 154D and 11B to 11C.             Mid-section: Close to 16C. Base: Close to 157C. Color, when             opening: Apex: Close to 11C to 11D. Mid-section: Close to             11D. Base: Close to 157D. Color, fully opened: Apex: Close             to 8D and 11D. Mid-section: Close to 11D. Base: Close to             157D.         -   Pappus.—Quantity of hairs per floret: About 50. Length:             About 7 mm. Diameter: Less than 1 mm. Texture: Soft. Color:             Close to 157A to 157B.         -   Phyllaries.—Number of phyllaries per inflorescence: About 44             arranged in about two whorls. Length: About 1.2 cm. Width:             About 2.5 mm. Shape: Lanceolate. Apex: Narrowly acute. Base:             Cuneate. Margin: Entire. Texture, upper surface: Smooth,             glabrous. Texture, lower surface: Moderately tomentose.             Color, upper surface: Close to 143B. Color, lower surface:             Close to 138A; towards the base, close to 137B.         -   Scapes.—Length: About 33.4 cm. Diameter: About 4 mm;             distally, about 3.5 mm. Angle: About 15° from vertical.             Strength: Moderately strong. Texture: Moderately dense             tomentose. Color: Close to 144B; distally, close to 143A;             proximally, close to 152A.         -   Reproductive organs.—Androecium (found on disc florets             only): Quantity per floret: Two. Filament length: About             1 cm. Filament color: Close to 11D. Anther shape:             Lanceolate. Anther length: About 1 mm. Anther color: Close             to 2D. Pollen amount: Scarce to moderate. Pollen color:             Close to 8B to 8C. Gynoecium (found on ray and disc             florets): Quantity per floret: One. Pistil length: About             1.35 cm. Stigma shape: Cleft. Stigma color: Close to 155A.             Style length: About 1.3 cm. Style color: Close to 155D.             Ovary color: Close to NN155C to NN155D.         -   Seed/fruit.—Seed and fruit production has not been observed. -   Disease/pest resistance: Resistance to pathogens and pests common to     Gerberas has not been observed on plants of the new Gerbera grown     under commercial production conditions. -   Garden performance: Plants of the new Gerbera have been observed to     have good garden performance and to tolerate wind, rain and     temperatures from about −5° C. to about 35° C. 

1. A new and distinct Gerbera plant named ‘Piroska’ as illustrated and described. 